The Tribune

By Azaleta Ishmael-Newry

ELEUTHERA – Earth Day celebrations in Eleuthera took a whole new turn this year with the launch of the One Eleuthera Foundation.

The foundation is an amalgamation of the island’s non-profit organisations to serve the cause of better planned development, in particular tourism development.

During the five special events organised to celebrate Earth Day, a six figure sum was raised to support this effort.

Those who support the foundation want to brand Eleuthera as a cultural and heritage destination with the goal of ensuring all development on the Island stays “in scale with nature”.

Taking place April 20 to 22 this year, the “Jammin’ For Nature, Earth Day Weekend” was originally started by The Nature Conservancy, which felt that Eleuthera provided the perfect backdrop to celebrate conservation achievements at the local level, according Eleanor Phillips, programme director for the North Caribbean Programme at The Nature Conservancy.

“We partnered with the One Eleuthera Foundation because they have these goals at heart and together, we are working towards building a sustainable Eleuthera,” she said.

Other partners who supported the events included The Island School, BREEF, Eleuthera Land Conservancy, Bahamas National Trust, Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve, Coastal Awareness and the Ministry of Tourism. 

“Eleuthera became a magnet because of what it has to offer through culture, heritage and conservation initiatives and this made it the perfect place to highlight Earth Day,” said Mrs Phillips.

To kick off the celebrations, a welcome party started at 4pm on Friday afternoon at The Beach House in Governor’s Harbour.

On Saturday, the branding of Eleuthera as a cultural and heritage destination was highlighted with the launch of the “Eleuthera Heritage and Conservation Trail” which includes both a southern and northern tour.

Children from the Emma Cooper Primary School who completed the southern loop finished at the Island School where they met Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes and Lady Foulkes.

Sir Arthur and his wife, Chinese Ambassador Hu Shan and former Senate president Lynn Holowesko were there for the opening of the newly built Hallig House (named after Bobbie Hallig) which is based on green principles and stands as a tribute to Earth Day and the One Eleuthera Foundation’s celebrations.

Meanwhile, the “One Eleuthera Cultural Exposé” in Bay Front Park continued into the evening and included activities for all ages.

Sculling races with the Sands boats created nostalgia and there were newcomers to the sport.

Sculling is being revived by Jimmy Sands and George Kelly and the boats are travelling to the various regattas throughout the Family Islands.

Using native wild Tamarind from the local forest, Sheldon Gibson and his team constructed the five handmade boats in Nassau.

Not only do the boats exemplify the craft of old fashioned boat building but also sustainability and recycling principles.

More cultural diversity was appreciated with local music and performances from The Rum Runners, Island Flavour, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Pop Band, the Preston Albury High School (PAHS) Marching Band, the PAHS National dance champions, and the All Eleuthera Junkanoo group.

Children appreciated old time games like sack racing, tug of war, marbles and hoola hoops, which were organised by Dr David Sands of Eco Tours.

There was also coconut barking and the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) organised a craft table.

Environmental organisations like the Nature Conservancy, BREEF, BNT, the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve (LLNPP) and the Island School focused on education relating to the environment and visitors were able to purchase eco-friendly items.

The Bahamas Cancer Society worked to raise awareness of various health issues while One Eleuthera concentrated on membership and fundraising and the Sands Beer and Bacardi stall contributed to raising funds.

The unity and heritage of the Island’s various settlements was showcased through the artisans, handicraft vendors and bush medicine specialists, who came from the Bluff, Lower Bogue, James Cistern, Governor’s Harbour, Tarpum Bay, Weymss Bight and Deep Creek.

Biodegradable containers were used at the food section and 10 food vendors served Bahamian foods and drink as well as Haitian dishes.

People were delighted to taste old time favourites like tamarind ice cream and coconut bread.

That afternoon, the One Eleuthera Foundation was officially launched by its CEO and co-chairman, Shaun Ingraham, who encouraged people to remember three key guiding principles of One Eleuthera – strengthening, connecting and planning.

“We will work at strengthening all of our communities, connect the island – from Harbour Island to Bannerman Town to Powell Pointe – and we are going to plan for the future,” he said.

For the grand finale, event number five was called “Picnic for the Planet” and was sponsored by The Nature Conservancy and Cocodimama Resort.

Guests were entertained by “Ellie the Belly and the Haitian Sensations” in a relaxed and casual atmosphere.

Picnic for the Planet was a worldwide event and the Eleuthera party coincided with celebrations in Nassau that took place at the New Providence Community Church.

“Bringing together people, resources, and expertise to develop opportunities for all Eleutherans to prosper is a key component of One Eleuthera. The weekend celebrations were a strong catalyst that not only brought people together but strengthened communities and helped persons to sustain their livelihoods,” said Mr Ingraham.